Weekend College Football Preview: All Local Teams In Action
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The first weekend of November sees all the area college football teams in action.
It could be a very special weekend in Happy Valley as Penn State hosts Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. in a Big Ten clash. The Nittany Lions are 5-3 after beating Michigan last week. A win against the Wildcats would give Head Coach Joe Paterno 400 as a collegiate head coach but he says he isn't focusing on any milestones:
"God, how many years have I been a head coach? 40? I mean you're going to win a couple games in that time. I really don't give it much thought. What's the difference if I win 399 or 400. That won't make any difference."
For the record, Paterno is 399-132-3 as a head coach and every game has come with the Nittany Lions. The starting quarterback situation for Penn State is still up in the air for this one with freshman Rob Bolden and sophomore Matt McGloin.
Temple will be on the road at 2:00 p.m. Saturday visiting Kent State in MAC play. Temple is 7-2 this season and Owls Head Coach Al Golden says the Golden Flashes' defense will make life difficult for his squad:
"They are good against the score, they are excellent in pass defense. Obviously their rushing defense goes without mention, they are number one. Their total defense is number one. They are getting to the quarterback at an unusual clip."
The Owls defense has been pretty good in its own right as they have pitched back-to-back shutouts.
Villanova (6-2) , now ranked #3 in 1-AA, will be on the road Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Wildcats visiting Rhode Island. The Rams are just 3-5 but Wildcats Head Coach Andy Talley says you can't let that record fool you:
"They are coached by Joe Trainer, my former defensive coordinator, and he's doing a great job there. They gave Delaware a great run, gave William and Mary a great run. They beat New Hampshire. They are a team that has our attention."
Villanova WR Matt Szczur expected to miss his fifth straight game in this one with a bad ankle.
Hear the entire Andy Talley Interview...
It's one of the nation's great rivalries Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Central New Jersey as Princeton hosts Penn in Ivy League action. The 6-1 Quakers are frontrunning in the Ancient Eight with a 4-0 league mark but Head Coach Al Bagnoli says the Tigers can move the football:
"Their offense schematically causes you some problems and has some big play capability and I think we are giving them a tremendous amount of respect."
Princeton is 1-6 overall this season. This will be the 102nd all-time meeting in this rivalry. Princeton has 63 wins in the 101 games already in the books.
Delaware will be home on Saturday to host Towson at 3:30 p.m. The Blue Hens are 7-1, coming off the bye and ranked as high as number four in the national polls.
In Division II, West Chester will play its final home game of the season as the Golden Rams host Millersville. WCU is 3-6 on the season. Head Coach Bill Zwaan talks about how they look at the final two games of a disappointing season:
"The whole thing for us is just try to finish on a positive note right now and take into the offseason some positives and get a chance to evaluate some guys on the field and see how they do."
The kickoff time for the West Chester/Millersville game has been switched from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Hear The Entire Bill Zwann Interview...
In other local Division II action on Saturday, Cheyney will be home to host C.W. Post while Lincoln welcomes Elizabeth City to town.
In Division III action, #8 Delaware Valley College will be on the road visiting Albright. The Aggies are on a roll. They are 7-1 and a perfect 5-0 in the MAC. A win on Saturday would give DVC at least a share of the MAC title as well as the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Ursinus will be on the road this week with a critical Centennial Conference match-up at Muhlenberg. The Bears are 7-1 and if they win this game they would grab the conference's automatic birth to the DIII playoffs.
Rowan brings a 7-1 record into a home game with Western Connecticut on Saturday. Profs are in a dogfight in the NJAC, they are one of three teams with just one conference loss at the top of the standings. Last season when these two teams met up, Rowan hung a 72-14 win on the board.
Widener will be home on Saturday, hosting Wilkes at 1:00 p.m. The Pride are 3-5 coming in.
Reported by: Matt Leon, KYW Newsradio
